Method of and apparatus for the manufacture of hollow articles



(No Mdel.) A r A. I' 7 Sheets-Sheet 1'.. A 11.11%. SINGER.. A

METHOD OP A ND APPARATUS FOR lTEE .MAN UFGTURE `Ol" HOLLQW ARTICLES,- l

No.soflgjgoo. Patented July T18,- 11.893.

(No Model.) Y. 7 Sheets-Sheet-Z.

R. R. SINGER. j METHOD OP AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAGTURE 0F HOLLOW A RTIGLBS.

Patented July 1,8', 1893.

INVENTOR 7 Sheets-Sheet 3..

(No Model.)

R. R. SINGER. METHQD 0B AND APPARATUS FOR THE MNUPAGTUR'E @0F HOLLOW ARTILES.

INVENTOR (No Moae1.) 7 sheets-sheen 4.

L A R. R. SINGER. I y'MEATEIOD 0F `AIID"APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAUTURE 0F HOLLOW ARTICLES.

No. 501,900. l Patented July 18, 1893.

(NQA Model.) 7 '7 sheets-sheet 5.

`R.R.SI1\IGER n METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAGTURE. OF HOLLOW y ARTICLES. I

110.501,90). Paten A Kyla L u WITNSSES .(NoModel.) 'i v f R. R. SINGER. .l l v .METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS PORTER MANUFAGTURB 0F f m1'.1.(w\r

' Amlopm wrrnEssI-:s inventan 7 Sheets-Sheet 7.

(No Model.)

- A R. R. SINGER. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUPAOTURE OF HOLLOW v ARTICLES. l No. 501,900. Patented'July 18', 1893.

. of whitle-trees, single-trees, dac.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT R. SINGER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HOLLOWARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,900, dated July 18, 1893.

Application tiled May 9, 1892. Serial No. 432,229. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. SINGER, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Method of and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Hollow Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine adapted to contain and operate my improved die mechanism. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line III-III of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 to 9 show the dies in vertical cross-section on the line et+-b, in various positions. Fig, 4 shows the dies with the blank inserted preparatory to the first step of the operation. Fig. 5 shows thedies in conjunction upon the blank. Fig. 6 shows the male-die inverted and about to engage the blank. Fig. 7 shows the die after the blank has been bent. Fig. 8 shows the male-die with the blank thereon, after separation from the female-die. Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the nished article, before uniting of its edges; and Fig. 10 is a perspective view thereof. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the original blank. Figs. 12,13 and 14 are views showing in edge view modified forms of blank. Figs. 15 and 16 are cross-sectional views of dies of modified construction, adapted to the manufacture Fig. 17 is a plan view of the single-tree blank. Fig. 18 is an edge view thereof; and Fig. 19 is an end view of the blank after it has been shapedby the dies. In Figs. 20to 26 I show in vertical cross-section a modied construction of the dies, in which the female die is made in two parts and operates in conjunction with a movable bottom or blank holder, the function of which is to hold the bottom of the blank and to prevent it from bending. These figures show the parts in successively different relative positions they occupy from the beginning to the end of the operation.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.

My inventionrelates to a method and apparatus for the manufacture of hollow arti-v cles such as vehicle-tongues, Whittle-trees, &c., designedto effect the same purpose, but in improved manner, as the subject of a prior patent, No. 469,952, granted to me on March ity, the effect of which is to bring towardl each other the turned edges and to complete `the article.

The apparatus claimed by me, consists of a female-die adapted tothe practice of said invention and having two cavities, one a wide cavity for the iirst shaping of the blank, and the other a cavity formed Within the first for the final shaping.

It also consistsof such female-die in com# bination with suitable male-dies; and of a reversible die piece having on the same stock two male-die faces; and in certain features of construction herein described and specifically recited in the claims.

I show in the drawings a hydraulic machine of a kind well adapted to be used in connection with my improvement; but, if desired, the construction and form of the machine may be changed without variance from my invention. The machine has a frame of posts 2, an entablature orcap 3, a moving die-head 4, set on the posts which serve as guides therefor, and actuating hydraulic motors 5, the movable elements of which. bear on the moving die-head and are adapted to actuate thesame. The, cylinders are sup" ported by the posts and are provided with' 'connected valve-controlled Water-su pply pipes ing the die-head. The machine may be constructed so that either thel female die or the male die shall be moved by the motor-cylinders. It is somewhat more convenient that the female-die 7 should be thus moved, and I have accordingly shown it set on the moving-head 4 and secured thereto. This die has a longitudinal cavity 8, of shallow trough form having vertical sides, and in the middle of this cavity is a second cavity 9, deeper and narrower than the cavity 8. These cava f 6, which cause them to act 1n unison 1n mov- IOO ities taper -in outline to correspond with the outline of the article desired to be formed ICI naled in bearings in yokes 12, carried by theV moving parts of hydraulic motors 13, which are set at the ends of the entablature 3. By means of these motors the die-head can be moved laterally in vertical direction, in order to invert the position of the male die, such inversion being effected by means of segmental gearing 14, 15, fixed to the trunnions and adapted to mesh with stationary racks 16 situate at the posite sides thereof. To invert the male-die the die-head is reciprocated vertically, whereupon, on the down stroke of the die-head, the engagement of the rack with the gear segment 15 at one end of the die-head turns the latter one-fourth of a revolution, and on the 11p-stroke, the engagement of the gear segment 16 at the other end of the die-head with its rack completes the semi-revolution of the die-head. This is a convenient and simple mode of reversing the position of the dies, but within the scope of the claims in which the segmental gearing is not expressed, other means of reversing the dies may be used.

As thus constructed, the operation of the machine is as follows:-The metal blank 17, consisting of a piece of sheet metal preferably tapering in form, as shown in Fig. 11, in order to produce a tapering hollow tongue, is laid over the die-cavity 8 of the die 7 in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The die-.head 4 is then elevated by means of the motors 5, and raising the die 7 presses the blank 17 against the die 18 and thereby shapes the blank into the form of a wide trough, as shown in Fig. 5. Then, by the means above explained, the diehead 10 is inverted so as to bring the die 19 opposite to the female-die, as shown in Fig. 6, and then, by elevating the female die, the male die forces the already bent blank into the cavity 9, thereby reducing the blank to the shape shown in Fig. 7, and bending its edges upward and inward against the stock of the die-head, which for this purpose is contracted above the die. The male and female dies are then separated, leaving the blank hanging onthe male die, as shown in Fig. 8. When withdrawn longitudinally from this die, the blank is in the form shown in Figs. 9 and 10, and when its edges are welded or otherwise secured together the tongueis completed. The blank 17, instead of being of uniform thickness from end to end, may be tapered in the manner shown in either of Figs. 12, 13 and 14. l Y .It will be understood that within the scope of the broader claims of this application, the dies 18, 19, maybe carried by separate stocks or die-heads, that the female die may be stationary and the male-die movable, or that the cavities 8 and 9 may be formed in separate y shown as on separate stocks. ends of the die-head and on respectively opv' female dies. Also that the machine may be varied in construction, and that the form of the dies may be altered in various ways to suit the requirements of the articles to be shaped thereby. v

The method claim of this application is not limited to the peculiar construction of dies recited in the other claims. Thus the rst bending of the blank by which a wide and shallow trough is formed may be done by rolls instead of dies.

In Fig. 15 et seq., I show dies suitable for the manufacture of single-trees and whiiiietrees. In Figs. 15 and 16, the male-dies are The manner of operation of these dies will be readily-understood by those skilled in the art from an inspection of the drawings and the foregoing description; since I have used in these Iigures -the same reference characters as those employed in former Iigures,'distinguishing them bythe prime mark. The blank used for` making the whiftle-tree is preferably thicker in the middle and tapers thence toward the ends, thus giving it strength at the place of greatest strain.

` In Figs. 2O to 26 I show-a modified construction of apparatus, in which the female-dies are made in two parts, or at least with a cavity lextending-entirely through `the die, and a movable blank-holder, adapted to operate in said cavity. I have designated the parts of this construction by the same reference characters as used for corresponding parts in the preceding figures, distinguishing them by the exponent letter t. The female-die 7 is movable vertically and has a cavity 8a and a nar- Y rower middle cavity 9a, which extends through the die. The die-head 10a has male-dies 18 and 19u constructed as above described. 2O

t is a blank-holder or movable follower for holding the metal blank while it is acted upon by the dies. It is provided with actuating mechanism such as a hydraulic motor, and is adapted to move vertically through the cavity et.

The operation of the dies is as follows:-n

. The follower 20 is first raised so as to engage the blank 17 and to hold it against the die 18a, (Fig. 20.) While the blank is so held the female die 7 is lifted and engaging the blank bends it into the form of atrough as shown in Fig. 21. The female die and holder are then lowered and the die-head 10a inverted, as shown in Fig. 22. The female die is then raised to bring the blank against the die 19a,

(Fig. 23,) the blank holder is raised to engage the blank (Fig. 24), and then, without moving the holder, the female die is raised farther, and the blank being clamped between the parts 19a and 20 is bent in the cavity 9 to the Ashape shown in Fig. 25. The female-die and holder are then withdrawn, (Fig. 26,) leaving the blank on the die 19a4 from which it may be removed as explained above.

This form of apparatus is included generi- IOO IIO

cally within the claims of this application and serves to show that other changes may bemade without variance from my invention.

I claim- 1. The method herein described of making vehicle tongues and other hollow articles, which consistsin bending a sheet metal blank into the form of a wide trough, and then bending in the,` middle ofVV said blank a narrower trough, wherebyl the edges are caused to approach and the hollow article is formed; substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In apparatus for making vehicle tongues and other hollow articles, a female-diehaving two cavities one within the other, viz: a wider cavity and an inner narrower cavity, in com- Y bination with two trough-bending dies, adapt,-

ed to'enter said cavities in succession, sub-v stantially as and for the purposes. described.

3. .In apparatus for makingvehicle tongues and other hollow articles, two female die-cavities, viz., a .wider cavity and a narrower cavity adapted to receive the blank after it has been acted Onin the. cavity first named,and male trough-forming dies adaptedL to enter said cavities -in succession, the second male-die having a head which is contracted above the die, substantially as. and for the purpose de-` scribed.V 1

4:. In apparatus for making vehicle tonguesY and other hollow articles, ,the .combination of a female-die having-two cavities Aone within the other, viz: a wider cavity and an inner.

` narrower cavity, and a reversible die-stock die-head to accomplish its reversal; substan the purpose described. i

5. In apparatus for making vehicle tongues and other hollow articles, the combination of die-mechanism having two female die cavities, viz: a wider cavity and a narrower cavity adapted to receive the blank after it has been acted on in the cavity first named, and male dies corresponding in form to said cavities, the die of the narrower cavity having a contracted shank to permit near approach of the edges of the metal; substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. A rotary die-head having segmental gearing, racks in connection with` which the gear- .carrying` male-dies; substantially as and forv ing operates, and means for reciprocating .the-

tially asand for the purposes described.

7. In apparatus for making vehicle tongues and other-hollow articles, two female die-cavities, viz: a wider cavity and a narrower cavity adapted to receive the blank after it -has been acted on in thecavity rst named; male troughbending dies, and mechanism for'actuating the dies; substantially as. and for-the purposes described.

`-In-testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of April, A. D. 1892..

RoBT. R. SINGER. r

.Witnessesz W. B. CORWIN,

`' IHoivms-W. BAKEWELL. 

